Insurance Group Names Acura MDX and Ford Taurus Top Safety Picks

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced that its top-scoring vehicles for safety, based on crash test results, are the 2007 Acura MDX and the 2008 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable. Both received the highest score, "good," in front, side and rear crash testing and were named "top safety picks."

The Taurus and Sable have electronic stability control and side airbags with head protection, with the former as an option and the latter standard. ESC was required for any vehicle to contend for the "top safety pick" award. Ford's Five Hundred, predecessor to the Taurus/Sable, did not offer ESC.

Acura made a change to get into the top rank also, IIHS explains; the SUV got low ratings for its seat/head restraints initially, but Honda improved the design. The current safety award applies to MDX vehicles built after May 2007 with the new restraint design.

IIHS rates vehicles based on 40-mph frontal offset crash testing, 31-mph side-impact testing and a two-step rear crash test.

© Source: insideline
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